Prima volta
by Aiwritingfic
Summary: The first time Nodame plays the piano. Gen. Characters: Nodame, various.


First posted on my writing archive on April 20, 2007.**  
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**Title**: _Prima volta_  
**Fandoms**: Nodame Cantabile  
**Characters**: Nodame, various people from Ohkawa-shi in Fukuoka (Nodame's hometown)  
**Wordcount/Rating/Warnings**: 600+ words / gen / spoilers-but-not-really.  
**Spoilers**: Very light spoilers for manga Volume 9, Lesson 52. No spoilers for anime (yet).  
**Summary**: The first time Nodame plays the piano.  
**Author's Notes**: I was trying to take a nap, but this fic wouldn't leave me alone until I wrote it! Oh well. I guess instead of a nap I will take caffeine pills before teaching. (Amazing how a 4-panel mention in the manga became a 600-word fic ...)

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The first piano Nodame ever saw was the black Yamaha grand piano in Tsukino-nee-chan's house. 

Tsukino-nee-chan was clever and beautiful. She had long hair in a braid, and she played piano like an angel. Nodame went to her house every day and watched as those pretty pale hands with the long slender fingers flew across the black and white keys, playing songs that made five-year-old Nodame feel as if she wanted to cry without knowing why, and then playing other songs that Nodame danced excitedly to. Nodame wanted to touch the piano too, and make beautiful sounds like that.

Mama told Nodame that Tsukino-nee-chan went to music school. Nodame told Mama that when she was Tsukino-nee-chan's age she would go to music school too. That time, Mama laughed and patted Nodame's head.

One day, Tsukino-nee-chan watched Nodame swaying, enraptured with Chopin, and then asked Nodame if she wanted to try her piano. Nodame excitedly climbed onto the piano bench, but she was too short, and her arms were at an awkward angle. Tsukino-nee-chan laughed and Nodame pouted, but they soon solved that problem with some heavy books borrowed from Tsukino-nee-chan's father's bookshelves.

Tsukino-nee-chan's mother, hearing Nodame's excited giggles, left the kitchen to find out what the commotion was about, and then laughed and said Tsuki-chan should be careful, or Megumi-chan would fall off and hit her head, and then Megumi-chan's parents would be angry. Nodame shook her head and insisted on climbing up onto the piano anyway, so Tsukino-nee-chan's hands gently but firmly held her in place while Nodame poked the keys experimentally.

Nodame giggled, wriggling a little before she got comfortable, and then she looked up at Tsukino-nee-chan with shining eyes. _Tsukino-nee-chan, listen to me! This is the piece I like the best!_

And then Nodame played.

Tsukino-nee-chan's mother gasped, and Tsukino-nee-chan let go in shock. Nodame didn't hear the gasp, nor feel the hands let go. She didn't fall off the bench, either, and she finished playing the piece. She thought she might have forgotten some of the music, because there were places where it felt a little different from how it did when Tsukino-nee-chan played it, but it was about happy children laughing and dancing, and there were animals too, so it was okay if they didn't all dance the exact same way every time, wasn't it? She must not have gotten it right, though, because when she turned around, Tsukino-nee-chan was covering her mouth and Tsukino-nee-chan's mother was sitting down and staring at Nodame.

_Wasn't it okay?_ Nodame asked uncertainly.

_Oh, Megumi-chan,_ Tsukino-nee-chan had said after looking at her mother. Then Tsukino-nee-chan hugged Nodame, and Nodame knew that even though she'd definitely made lots of mistakes, it was okay anyway.

_That was fun!_ Nodame said, grinning happily. _Hehe, I didn't play it exactly the way Tsukino-nee-chan does. I want to go to music school too!_ Nodame hopped off the piano bench and tugged on Tsukino-nee-chan's arms. _Ne, play it for me again, Tsukino-nee-chan,_ Nodame said, eagerly. _I want to learn it properly!_

But Tsukino-nee-chan's music after that didn't quite sparkle like it had earlier. Maybe Tsukino-nee-chan was tired, Nodame guessed, and she thoughtfully didn't make Tsukino-nee-chan play it too many times.

Later, Tsukino-nee-chan insisted on taking Nodame home by herself and speaking to Mama. Nodame thought Mama would scold her for playing on Tsukino-nee-chan's piano, even though Tsukino-nee-chan had asked her to, but no scolding ever came.

That night at dinner was the first time Nodame heard the word "genius" and her name in the same sentence, said in a puzzled, unsure manner, because _our Megumi-chan can't even add numbers properly without losing a few--is she really that good?_ For Nodame's birthday, though, Papa bought Nodame a piano. It wasn't a big one like Tsukino-nee-chan's, but it was Nodame's own piano, and Nodame laughed happily with joy and played Papa a thank-you-song full of birds and dancing teddy bears and laughter.

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Perhaps a bit of a departure from _Volti subito_. Comments/criticism please? 


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